[Helgendasz]

With the holiday season coming up.... I am desperately looking for desserts suitable for diabetics.

My boyfriends father was diagnosed with Diabetes about 3 years ago, and it hit him rather hard. Especially since he is a person that does not like when anyone has to make a fuss or has to change their ways on his behalf.

So far I have used up all my bright ideas for desserts:
- pancakes with sweetener and some pure vanilla - served with fresh strawberries
- rice pudding with sweetener and again pure vanilla served with oranges and almonds
- fruit salads with cream (soy cream)

I am therefore looking for some fresh input especially for baking? The sweetener that we can use is rather sensitive, it can take up to 180C and only between 8-10 minutes in the oven. Or if anyone has a recipe for ice cream (if frozen yoghurt, preferable without too much of a yoghurt taste....)?

I would just like to surprise them this year for christmas!!

H.

[Kimmie]

Hello Helgendasz and welcome to Cheftalk.

I found this on the net for you. Diabetic Desserts

I hope this will be useful as I didn't take the time to examine the sites personally.

[nancya]

Hi Helgendasz. Do they not have Splenda where you live? I know that you can purchase it on the internet - but of course I don't know if they ship to Belgium. Splenda is malodextrin and sucralose - and apparently does not have a significant impact on blood glucose levels. Click here for more Splenda. You can bake with Splenda and though it recommends substituting one to one for sugar, we find that 3/4 to one works better.

Tell me a little about how your boyfriend's father manages his diabetes. Is he type 1 or type 2, does he take pills or insulins, manage by diet and exercise?

Around here, most of us use carbohydrate counting instead of the old diabetic exchanges. If you use carb counting, it is possible to work any food into your diet. As far as sugar free desserts go, I substitute Splenda for sugar in all pie recipes and many cakes. I don't think it does so well in cookies. But all cakes and pies still contain carbohydrates and that means that I have to give up the potato or the rolls if I intend to have the dessert. My diabetes, however, is still pretty new and it doesn't really hurt me if I have the occasional gooey dessert - provided I am following my diet the rest of the time.

Please feel free to check out some of the diabetic communities I am involved with such as the Diabetes, Hypoglycemia and Transplant Corner or Life After Diabetes

In addition, you might enjoy this link: Diabetic Gourmet

[troy]

hi
most of my diabetic friends use an herb called stevia as a sweetener. it is a natural herb

[Mezzaluna]

I have used stevia and found that it's bitter- and expensive. Also, its quality and strength vary from brand to brand. Splenda is made from sugar; I don't know if it's totally naturally, but I don't think it has any nasty chemicals. Beats the heck out of aspartame, IMHO.

[nancya]

Another product, stevia, is derived from a South American shrub. Though it can impart a sweet taste to foods, it cannot be sold as a sweetener because FDA considers it an unapproved food additive. "The safety of stevia has been questioned by published studies," says Martha Peiperl, a consumer safety officer in FDA's Office of Premarket Approval. "And no one has ever provided FDA with adequate evidence that the substance is safe." Under provisions of 1994 legislation, however, stevia can be sold as a "dietary supplement," though it cannot be promoted as a sweetener.

Check out the whole, rather interesting, article regarding artificial sweeteners.


Sugar Substitutes

[troy]

splenda is not natural i forget which chemical they remove but i know it is replaced with clorine(sp)
http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/sucralose_dangers.htm
and i just read this again and it says it is not good for diabetic patients

now about the FDA ok and just who aproved FEN-FEN. and then there is olestra the oil that was suposed to be good for the potato chip industry and turned out to be a total flop a few people even died from eating foods cooked in the stuff ( i know the owner of one of the local potato chip companys) nutra-sweet was suposed to be a heart medication but it made a better sweetner. they do not aprove it(stevia) because of the sugar and the artifical sweetner co.'s lobbying against it. i have a catalog from a chinese herbal medicinal catalog with a double colum page of things that can not be sold in the united stated and you have to aask why, because they don't work, or because they do!
oops someone used those three letters and i got up on my soap box yes they have stoped some nasty things from hitting the market but they have also left some things threw and stoped some very good things

stevia is not that expensive i know where stevia leaf cut and sifted is avaliable for $1.65us per OZ + shipping
if any one is interested contact me directly
troysh3@suscom.net

and it is only bitter if you use to much i little goes a long way

of course the quality and strength vary it is a natural product
not every tree grows the same way and not every child looks the same? even fruit that is the same cultiver is diffrent depending on where and when it is grown

but just my opinion not that it maters